Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Monday, October 12, 2026
Labor Department Suspends Microsoft, Adobe and Six IT Firms From Green Card Program
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini are suspended indefinitely from the Permanent Labor Certification Program, known as PERM, which helps employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. The companies can no longer submit new applications, and existing applications will not be processed further, though approved H-1B visas and green cards are not canceled. Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft, claiming it replaced 6,000 workers laid off in 2025 with H-1B hires. CNBC found two in three of Microsoft’s H-1B approvals went to people already working there, and Microsoft disputed the characterization.
Software Developer Job Postings Climb Nearly 15% Despite AI Coding Tools
U.S. software-development job postings have risen nearly 15% since February 2025, according to Indeed Hiring Lab data cited by CNBC, even as overall job postings fell. The gains are concentrated: senior roles accounted for 71% of the increase between May 2025 and May 2026, and job titles mentioning AI accounted for 37%. Postings remain about 27.5% below their pre-pandemic level. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index found employment in AI-exposed fields for workers aged 22 to 25 has fallen 16% since the rise of generative AI, and 20% for early-career software developers. Indeed Hiring Lab economist Sneha Puri warned that employers who skip entry-level pipelines will lack senior talent later.
Amazon Cuts Hundreds of Jobs in Its Stores Business During Prime Big Deal Days
Amazon laid off hundreds of employees in its Stores business, which runs the company’s main e-commerce site, GeekWire reported Oct. 8. Customer service, selling partner support and retail engineering teams were among those hit, according to internal Slack posts viewed by Business Insider and Reuters, which both reported that fewer than 1,000 employees were affected. The cuts came during Prime Big Deal Days. An Amazon spokesperson said the company had “adjusted parts of our Stores business” and would “eliminate a small number of roles.” Affected employees were in the U.S., India and the UK. The cuts follow Amazon’s elimination of about 30,000 corporate jobs in October 2025 and January 2026.
Surveillance Company Flock Cuts 18% of Staff Through Voluntary Buyouts
Flock, the maker of license plate-reading surveillance cameras, is reducing its staff by 18%, or around 270 employees, according to Reuters, as reported by TechCrunch. The employees are leaving at the end of October following a voluntary buyout program. A Flock spokesperson said the company offered a “generous Voluntary Separation Program” and called it “a voluntary program, not a layoff.” The spokesperson would not say whether chief executive Garrett Langley or other executives took a pay cut. Flock has installed over 100,000 license plate-reading cameras across the U.S. and faces mounting pushback from communities and legislators, while several police departments, including Los Angeles’, have let their contracts expire or lapse.
Sources: TechCrunch
Robert Half Survey Finds 57% of Managers Offering Higher-Than-Planned Salaries
Some 57% of U.S.-based managers say they are offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract new hires, citing specialized skills as the main reason, according to Robert Half’s 2027 Salary Guide, reported by HR Dive. Artificial intelligence expertise is behind some of the most notable increases: 72% of managers are increasing pay for relevant AI skills, and 42% offer more for AI-related expertise than for other technical skills. Average salaries for new hires are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027. San Francisco, Denver and Seattle reported the highest share of managers making higher-than-expected offers. In-demand tech roles include business intelligence developer, data scientist and cybersecurity engineer.
ACLU Files California Complaint Over Criteria Corp.’s Emotify Hiring Assessment
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Northern California filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging that Criteria Corp., a hiring and employment assessment firm, sells a product that may disproportionately screen out applicants with autism, in violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. The product, Emotify, assesses candidates for emotional intelligence through matching and prediction games and an emotional problem-solving scenario game. The complaint claims the tool parallels clinical diagnostic tools for autism so closely that it constitutes a medical or psychological examination prohibited by state law before a job offer. Criteria Corp. did not respond to HR Dive’s request for comment.
DHS Proposes $70,000 Fee for International Students’ Optional Practical Training
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule requiring colleges to pay an initial $70,000 fee for international students to receive work authorization through the Optional Practical Training program, plus $30,000 for extensions. OPT gives international students one-year work authorization for employment related to their studies, with a two-year extension for STEM fields. DHS said the fee would curb fraud and “protect American workers,” suggesting OPT has been used to “circumvent the H-1B visa program.” It said colleges could pass the cost on to students or employers. About 294,000 international students participated in OPT in 2024-25. Federal Register publication opens a 30-day public comment period.
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